My husband Efrain and I lived together for a lifetime, until, as fate would have it, four years ago he went to the ways of God in eternity. He was an Atheist, he did not believe in God or in saints or baptism. He criticized those who had those beliefs. When my four children were very young, he had a strong pain when we arrived at the clinic and the doctors examined him, determined that it was appendicitis, they took him to the operating room and operated on him, Efrain joined me in my prayers and asked Our Lord Jesus Christ to perform the miracle that his intestine would be activated, so that he could live at least 20 years more, to be able to see his children grow up, and also offered that he would become a fervent believer in Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. A few days later, God heard his pleas and his intestines began to function and he came through the illness. that he would become a fervent believer of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. A few days later, God heard his pleas and his intestines began to function and he came out of the illness with flying colors. As the years went by, the children grew up, studied, worked, and became independent. We were left alone, we were quite old, my husband was 68 years old, at that time a bad habit of turning on the TV all night long took possession of him.
Over the course of several days he invited me to go to the cathedral church. Before long, Efrain was a fervent believer in God and the Virgin Mary. One afternoon, in the neighborhood where I live, parishioners were worshiping Our Lady of the Valley on her feast day. My husband was impatient because I was getting ready to go with him to this event. At every moment he would say to me: “Hurry up, we are going to be late, to accompany the image of the Virgin in her procession!”, with a smile on my face and my cheeks made up in a crimson red, I would answer him: “You were so critical of the parishioners, now you are more papist than the Pope!”, he told me very witty: "That's life, what you criticize today, tomorrow you will be subject to the same criticism!
After several months, Efrain told me: “We will talk to the parish priest to baptize our children”, I was very happy, I asked him: “And the godparents?”, very enthusiastic, he answered me: “Don't worry, that has already been calculated!”. On the weekend, on Sunday, we went to the church with the four children, their godparents and their godmothers, and that's how the priest baptized them.
When we went to the bedroom to sleep, the first thing my husband did was turn on the television. At that moment I felt so angry that my face turned yellow like peeled celery, he stared at me and with a smile on his lips he said, “What's wrong with you, you look like the ripe parchita fruit with the paleness that shows on your face?”, at that moment I became furious and started to fight: "Turn off that TV, so good the bad habit you learned!. "When I realized that he was sound asleep, I squatted down and turned off the TV, and in fractions of a second he got up and turned it on again!. Criticized that attitude of Efrain, but the next day he showered me with kisses and affection and I had no choice but to accept him as he was.
Last month my daughter Leocarmen came to my house to accompany me, I got sick with a bad cold and she decided to stay and take care of me for several days. The day after she was home, she got up very early and prepared breakfast, accompanying it with a delicious coffee with milk. While we were having breakfast, delighting our palate with that exquisite coffee, she said to me: “Mom, last night it was one o'clock at night and you were still with the TV on”, with a questioning gesture in my eyes, I interrupted her, she ignored and continued:‘’“” I approached your room and saw that you had the TV on. I went towards it and turned it off, in a short time I heard it on again, I almost couldn't sleep, with that noise“”, with my face as pale as the pallor of the magnolia, I felt pity and answered her: "If I don't turn on the TV I won't sleep all night! “My daughter, a little angry, refuted: ”You criticized and fought a lot with dad, now God punishes you, you fell into the same!“, very sorry I said: ”Four years ago my great love Efrain died, I assimilated that bad habit, I can not sleep without watching TV, dusk and dawn and my inseparable companion is the TV program! Leocarmen hugged me and said, “Forgive me mom!”.
Translation made with the free version of the translator DeepL.com
ESPAÑOL
No lo hagas, no le tengas miedo
Mi marido Efraín y yo vivimos juntos toda una vida, hasta que, cosas del destino, hace cuatro años se fue por los caminos de Dios en la eternidad. Era Ateo, no creía en Dios ni en los santos ni en el bautismo. Criticaba a los que tenían esas creencias. Cuando mis cuatro hijos eran muy pequeños, tuvo un fuerte dolor cuando llegamos a la clínica y los médicos lo examinaron, determinaron que era apendicitis, lo llevaron al quirófano y lo operaron, al siguiente d{ia le dió un paro intestinal. Efraín se unió a mis oraciones y le pidió a Nuestro Señor Jesucristo que hiciera el milagro de que se le activara el intestino, para que pudiera vivir por lo menos 20 años más, para poder ver crecer a sus hijos, y también ofreció que se convirtiera en un ferviente creyente de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo y de la Virgen María. Pocos días después, Dios escuchó sus súplicas y sus intestinos comenzaron a funcionar y salió airoso de la enfermedad. Con el paso de los años, los hijos crecieron, estudiaron, trabajaron y se independizaron. Nos quedamos solos, ya éramos bastante mayores, mi marido tenía 68 años, en aquella época se apoderó de él la mala costumbre de encender la televisión toda la noche.
A lo largo de varios días me invitó a ir a la iglesia catedral. Al poco tiempo, Efraín era un ferviente creyente en Dios y en la Virgen María. Una tarde, en el barrio donde vivo, los feligreses rendían culto a Nuestra Señora del Valle en el día de su fiesta. Mi marido estaba impaciente porque yo me preparaba para ir con él a ese acto. A cada momento me decía: «¡Date prisa, que vamos a llegar tarde, para acompañar a la imagen de la Virgen en su procesión!», con una sonrisa en mi cara y mis mejillas maquilladas de un rojo carmesí, le contestaba: «¡Tanto que criticabas a los feligreses, ahora eres más papista que el Papa!», me dijo el muy ocurrente: «¡Así es la vida, lo que hoy criticas, mañana serás objeto de la misma crítica!».
Después de varios meses, Efraín me dijo: «Hablaremos con el párroco para bautizar a nuestros hijos», me alegré mucho, le pregunté: «¿Y los padrinos?», muy entusiasmado, me contestó: «¡No te preocupes, eso ya está calculado!». El fin de semana, el domingo, fuimos a la iglesia con los cuatro niños, sus padrinos y sus madrinas, y así fue como el cura los bautizó.
Cuando fuimos al dormitorio a dormir, lo primero que hizo mi marido fue encender la televisión. En ese momento sentí tanta rabia que mi cara se puso amarilla como el apio pelado, él me miró fijamente y con una sonrisa en los labios me dijo: «¿Qué te pasa, pareces la fruta de la parchita madura con la palidez que se te nota en la cara?», en ese momento me puse furiosa y empecé a pelear: "¡Apaga ese televisor, tan buena la mala costumbre que aprendiste! " Cuando me di cuenta de que estaba profundamente dormido, me puse en cuclillas y apagué el televisor, en fracciones de segundo se levantó y volvió a encenderlo!". Critiqué esa actitud de Efraín, pero al día siguiente me colmó de besos y cariños y no tuve más remedio que aceptarlo como era.
El mes pasado mi hija Leocarmen vino a mi casa a acompañarme, me enfermé de un fuerte resfriado y ella decidió quedarse a cuidarme por varios días. Al día siguiente de estar en casa, se levantó muy temprano y preparo el desayuno, acompañándolo con un delicioso café con leche. Mientras desayunábamos, deleitamos nuestro paladar con aquel exquisito café, ella me dijo: «Mamá, anoche era la una de la noche y tú seguías con el televisor encendido», con un gesto interrogante en mis ojos, la interrumpí, ella hizo caso omiso y continuó:«»" Me acerqué a tu habitación y vi que tenías el televisor encendido . Me dirigí hacia él y lo apague, en poco tiempo lo volví a escuchar encendido, casi no pude dormir, con ese ruido«», con mi rostro tan pálido como la palidez de la magnolia, sentí pena y le respondí: "¡Si no enciendo la tele no duermo en toda la noche! " Mi hija, un poco enfadada, refutó: «¡Criticaste y peleaste mucho con papá, ahora Dios te castiga, caíste en lo mismo!», muy apenada le dije: «Hace cuatro años que murió mi gran amor Efraín, asimilé ese mal hábito, no puedo dormir sin ver la tele, anochece y amanece y mi compañera inseparable es la programación de la tele!». Leocarmen me abrazó y me dijo: «¡Perdóname mamá!».
Traducción realizada con la versión gratuita del traductor DeepL.com
what you criticize today, tomorrow you will be subject to the same criticism - real lesson. Life really does come back around in the most ironic ways.
Thank you for your comment, may God give you good health and have a happy day.
This was a lovely Creative Non-fiction piece. Our emotions are anchored in our memories and we find peace in the familiar. I am glad your husband loved you completely and showed you that affection. We can all look past little quirks when LOVE is central to our relationships. I bet that he is is looking down on you, and smiling every evening when he sees the TV remain on all night 🥰 Your writing did not flag at all this time! Be careful when you edit though that you remove the old versions of the sentences. You left a few in this time resulting in some almost duplicated sentences. Thank you for sharing a story from your life with The Ink Well community.